Papa!

A little boy and a little monster are terrified when they awake to find themselves next to each other in bed

PreSchool-Grade 1. The universality of nighttime fears is illustrated in this humorous account of bedtime "monsters" as seen through the eyes of both a little boy and a monster child. When they encounter one another in bed, they call out to their fathers to rescue them. First, the small creature is taken from the room and reassured by caring adults in his family that there are no such things as monsters. When he returns, the human child repeats the same scene and is escorted back to bed, assured that monsters do not exist. By the end, the two youngsters snuggle together in a contented sleep. Corentin's message will not be lost on young children. The colorful, expressive illustrations convey the simple action to the point that the accompanying text is almost unnecessary. Youngsters experiencing the same apprehension may benefit by knowing they are not alone in this fear.?Amelia Kalin, Valley Cottage Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A humorous reminder, in the same spirit as Jackie French Koller's No Such Thing (p. 60), that monsters are monsters only in the eye of the beholder. The story begins gently with a little boy dozing off in a warm bed when suddenly a noise awakens him. He finds himself face to face with a little green monster who is just as startled. Both of them open their mouths wide and scream, ``Papa! . . . There's a monster in my bed!'' The warty green father arrives first. ``Don't be afraid little one,'' he says, leading his frightened son into a warmly lit living room where a wild collection of horned, tusked, and antlered relatives smile benevolently at him. Once he's tucked safely back in, the human child and his parents repeat the performance, with identical text. In the end, the two little ones achieve a satisfying equilibrium of their own. Soft line and watercolor illustrations evoke the coziness of home. Much of the humor comes from the perfect parallels that are drawn between the children, not only in the text, but in their gestures and expressions. Warm and funny fare. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.